Newcastle boss Pardew hails barnstorming Sissoko

Sissoko, making his home debut, took it upon himself to inspire a dramatic finale.

It was he who reacted first after Petr Cech could only parry Yoan Gouffran's shot to steer home the equaliser and then, after he had twice tested the keeper following powerful solo runs, established himself firmly in the affections of the Toon Army.

There were only seconds of normal time remaining when the France international exchanged passes with full-back Davide Santon and then dispatched a low drive past the helpless Cech and into the back of the net to snatch victory.

Asked if he had seen a better home debut, Pardew replied: "Not since I have been here.

"[Papiss] Cisse made an instant impact when he arrived, but our fans, who are an intelligent set of fans - these people love their football here.

"They told me last time [in the 2-1 home defeat by Reading] that they didn't like me, that my subs were all wrong - and they were probably right.

"But they know a good player when they see one. He didn't just give us the goals, he gave us a lot more than that.

"I remember seeing him at Toulouse about 14-16 months ago and there are only two players that I have seen that I was desperate to get here. One was [Yohan] Cabaye and one was Sissoko, and we have managed to do that."